At a recent joint assembly in Calgary, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada, affirmed a resolution calling for stronger action to address the deteriorating conditions in Israel and Palestine. They add their voices to the rising chorus of Christian opinion in Canada, including statements from the United Church of Canada, Mennonites, and others opposing systemic oppression of the Palestinians by Israel. Read more.
A meeting of over 400 people from Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran congregations in early July adopted a resolution urging the Canadian government to take stronger measures to support Palestinian human rights.
The two churches are distinct but in communion with each other, meaning that they agree on a number of theological issues. That set the stage for the joint meeting in Calgary at the beginning of July.
The July resolution adopted in Calgary was the result of a gradual evolution in the thinking in both Churches about Israel and the Palestinian situation.
Ten years ago, in 2013, after a long and passionate debate, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada meeting in Ottawa passed a resolution on the issue of peace and justice in Palestine and Israel.
That resolution “condemned the use of all kinds of violence, especially against civilians; called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza). ”
It also committed the church to act with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Ten years later – a firmer position
Ten years later the evolution of the situation on the ground has led both Churches to take a firmer stand.
The recent resolution included some key elements:
Among other things it asked the church hierarchy “to examine, discuss, and address the implications of the recent reports by B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.” While the resolution did not mention the word apartheid, “it was clear to the participants what was being referred to”, one participant told CTIP.
The resolution also:
- “Condemned the blockade of Gaza, and the occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank”
- “Condemned settlement construction as illegal under international law”
- “called for an end to the occupation”
- “condemned the suppression of several Palestinian human rights organizations by Israel”
In addition it called on Canada to:
- stand up for and support human rights defenders in Israel/Palestine
- promote international human rights including protecting the rights and safety of children.
- increase funding to UNRWA
Just prior to Assembly, church leaders received a letter from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) raising some objections to the draft resolution circulated among delegates. The assembly had also heard remarks from a local Rabbah and recognized the importance of continued dialogue with the Canadian Jewish community including organizations like CIJA.
“After a great deal of thoughtful discussion, the resolution was adopted by the overwhelming majority of the approximately 400 delegates”, notes Andrea Mann, Director of Global Relations for the Anglican Church of Canada. “They came from every corner of Canada. It reflects a firming of resolve by Anglicans and Evangelical Lutherans to promote justice for Palestinians and Israelis.”
Nonetheless, the resolution was denounced the next day by CIJA in a press release saying it might “compromise the relationship between Christians and Jews in Canada.”
The full resolution can be found here.
The concluding paragraphs of the resolution are worth quoting as they make concrete demands of the Canadian government:.
- “We call on the Canadian government to continue to take a just, constructive, and human rights-based approach on Palestine-Israel issues, taking into account the extreme imbalance of power between Palestine and Israel and in line with international law and official Canadian foreign policy.
- “We urge the government of Canada to live up to the entirety of its existing policies on peace in Palestine and Israel, and to its commitments to International Law and International Conventions.
What can you do?
If you agree with the Anglican/Evangelical Lutheran resolution, forward it to your MP (and if you are a member of either church, send it to your minister, too) telling them you agree.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Reblogged this on QCpal.
Reblogged this on penelopap.
I fully support the resolution passed by the Anglican and Lutheran churches of Canada, calling for “stronger action” from the government of Canada to defend Palestinian rights. But what does “stronger action” mean? No Canadian government, either Liberal (Trudeau) or Conservative (Harper) has ever done anything to help the Palestinian people. All we get is talk but no action. I suggest BDS against Israel would be a start.
Sadly, as we have seen with so many issues, Justin Trudeau remains locked in his own little world of subservience to whatever position the US takes on international affairs and the US long ago gave up on trying to correct the disastrous method by which Palestine was handed over non-Palestinians.
Thus Canadians remain complicit in the political circus where a two-nation solution remains as essentially the comic-book excuse we adhere to each and every time the Isreali government takes more Palestinian lands to house illegal Isreali settlements.
The brutal oppression of Palestinians today is grounded in the horrors of past decades.
A representation election in Palestine has never been held. Instead, beginning in December, 1947, Israeli terrorists attacked Palestinians in their homes, killed & evicted hundreds of thousands of Palesyinians . This anti-Semitic omission to apply democratic procedures in Palestine is due to (1) the stubborn refusal of the UK, under it’s 1921-48 Mandate, to conduct a plebiscite in Palestine and (2) the failure of the UN, in 1947, to require an election to answer the question of the governance of Palestine. This betrayal of the fundamental principle of self-government has led to horrific, ongoing Palestinian suffering. A plebiscite now, is both reasonable & the only road to peace.